Mistletoe

[MattA]

I recently came across a really nice Melaleuca with a mistletoe growing from the top of the trunk(replacing the apex completely). I have always wanted to try & grow a bonsai with mistletoe & I thought this could be a worthwhile candidate.

Would the tree survive once collected or could the mistletoe drain all the available energy & the tree die?

Would the mistletoe survive if pruned back hard like the rest of the tree during collection?

Matt

[Hackimoto]

Hi Matt, I tried this 20 odd years ago by planting the seeds onto a bonsai Camphor laurel bonsai. All went well and it lasted about 5 years or so. The branch that the mistletoe was on died from there up and the whole episode was more of a horticultural curiosity than a bonsai as such. Give it a go, the mistletoe can be cut back by about half when you collect it. If the callistemon is really good stock then I would sacrifice the mistletoe and do the experiment on something else with the seed.

[MattA]

Thanks Hack, Alot of my stuff is more curiosity than bonsai so I think I will have a go. The Mel isnt that great it was just the fact that the mistletoe had replaced its apex & it was still a managable size (alittle over 1m).

I am curious, you grew one from seed & it went well for 5yrs... What happened after that? Did you remove the mistletoe or the tree die? I am also interested in your experiences with camphor laurel. I have one here that has given me no end of grief over the last 6-7yrs. Started out as a single trunk, top died & regrown as a triple, it is now back to a single trunk after losing them one by one. The current trunk was regrown from a small side bud.

[Hackimoto]

It is quite a fascinating process to watch the mistletoe germinate. The seed is encased in white or red berry and when the berry is squashed it has long sticky filament on it which is usually wiped onto a branch by a mistletoe bird( a fascinating process to watch in itself) When it germinates it sends out along root with a sticky pad on the end and curls back over to where the branch is and latches on, sending out some sort of filaments into the cambium of the host tree. Once secure it then straightens up and sends out the first seed leaves and off it goes.

Regarding the Camphor, I experienced the same grief that you have been having, hence the tree died taking the mistletoe with it. For a species that is a weed that will grow anywhere up here, I gave up on them years ago. Growth was too coarse and wiring below horizontal or any where caused die back. I just Googled Camphor Bonsai............Zilch!!!

Just found a thread on them in archives. will repost with a question. How is it going now?

[MattA]

Thanks for your input Hack, it has got my butt moving on the research One thing rang my alarm bells, Mistletoe leaves have a much higher transpiration rate than their host.

I will spend a bit more time studying the tree & mistletoe tomorow when I am out with the dogs. If I still think its worth trying to collect as a whole their is always the possibility of predig root augmentation. Reducing the mistletoe as much as possible should also help the moisture issue while the host establishes again.

[Hackimoto]

Enjoy your Wabi-Sabi journey Matt.

[anttal63]

Very interesting read Matt and Hack !!!

[shibui]

It would be interesting to try some of the smaller species instead of the more common large ones.
Notothixos incanus only grows to 50 cm. Korthalsella species are even smaller but much harder to find.
Once you have your mistletoe established you could then establish one of the other epiparasites on it. Amyema miraculosa is one that specialises in living on other mistletoes - bright red flowers and compact growth as well (I put seed of this species onto some of the A. pendula on the eucs in the garden this year but have not checked to see if any have established.)

Matt, i think you could cut back your mistletoe when you collect the mel. it should sprout again as long as you leave a few leaves to keep it alive. They survive possum browsing and caterpillar defoliation ok so should tolerate pruning back.

Mistletoe seed is very fertile and will start to germinate as soon as it is removed from the parent plant. I have watched them germinate on fence posts, steel posts, fencing wire and the washing line. Although they can stay alive for 6 or 7 months they cannot develop without a live host.